SYSLOGD(8) BSD System Manager's Manual SYSLOGD(8)
syslogd - log systems messages
syslogd [-dnu] [-a path] [-f config_file] [-m mark_interval]
[-p log_socket] [-s reporting_socket]
syslogd reads and logs messages to the system console, log files, other
machines and/or users as specified by its configuration file.
The options are as follows:
-a path
Specify a location where syslogd should place an additional log
socket. Up to about 20 additional logging sockets can be speci-
fied. The primary use for this is to place additional log sockets
in /dev/log of various chroot filespaces.
-d Enable debugging to the standard output, and do not disassociate
from the controlling terminal.
-f config_file
Specify the pathname of an alternate configuration file; the de-
fault is /etc/syslog.conf.
-m mark_interval
Select the number of minutes between "mark" messages; the default
is 20 minutes.
-n Print source addresses numerically rather than symbolically. This
saves an address-to-name lookup for each incoming message, which
can be useful when combined with the -u option on a loghost with
no DNS cache. Messages from the local host will still be logged
with the symbolic local host name.
-p log_socket
Specify the pathname of an alternate log socket to be used in-
stead; the default is /dev/log.
-s reporting_socket
Specify path to an AF_LOCAL socket for use in reporting logs
stored in memory buffers using syslogc(8).
-u Select the historical "insecure" mode, in which syslogd will ac-
cept input from the UDP port. Some software wants this, but you
can be subjected to a variety of attacks over the network, in-
cluding attackers remotely filling logs.
syslogd reads its configuration file when it starts up and whenever it
receives a hangup signal. For information on the format of the configura-
tion file, see syslog.conf(5).
syslogd creates the file /var/run/syslog.pid, and stores its process ID
there. This can be used to kill or reconfigure syslogd.
syslogd opens an Internet domain socket as specified in /etc/services.
Normally syslogd will only use this socket to send messages outwards, but
in "insecure" mode it will also read messages from this socket. syslogd
also opens and reads messages from the UNIX domain socket /dev/log, and
from the special device /dev/klog (to read kernel messages).
syslogd opens the above described socket whether or not it is running in
secure mode. If syslogd is running in secure mode, all incoming data on
this socket is discarded. The socket is required for sending forwarded
messages.
The message sent to syslogd should consist of a single line. The message
can contain a priority code, which should be a preceding decimal number
in angle braces, for example, "<5>". This priority code should map into
the priorities defined in the include file <sys/syslog.h>.
/etc/syslog.conf configuration file
/var/run/syslog.pid process ID of current syslogd
/dev/log name of the UNIX domain datagram log socket
/dev/klog kernel log device
logger(1), syslog(3), services(5), syslog.conf(5), newsyslog(8),
syslogc(8)
The syslogd command appeared in 4.3BSD.
MirBSD #10-current June 6, 1993 1